It took awhile, but eventually the God calmed himself. Now the pair sat on Thea's bed, shoulder by shoulder, nothing but silence between them. Aqen's bare chest was partially flushed, and his deep eyes stared intently at his clasped hands.

"I'm sorry," he said finally, jumping briefly at the sound of his own voice.

Thea tilted her head to the side. "For?"

Aqen's face turned deeper red. "My behavior was very--unbecoming. If I'm being honest, it was embarrassing."

Thea smiled, though it was more of a grimace, and she placed her own lithe hand on stop of his. He looked at her, lips partially parting in surprise.

"You lost someone you loved; there's nothing to be ashamed of, Aqen."

Aqen looked back at the pile of hands on his lap. "What are you going to do, Thea? I need an answer."

"I'm not sure," she replied honestly.

"But you must. Now is the time."

Thea turned her body to him, now desperately clasping his hands within her own. "Please Aqen, give me more time. Let me--let me solve this mystery. Let me save Ankh's life. Then after that happens, I'll have a better idea of what I want."

"You said so yourself," Aqen said, and Thea caught the slight twinge of sadness beneath the words. "You have feelings for Ankh."

"I do," Thea said, removing her hands and getting to her feet. "Do I love him? No--not right now. But could I?"

Thea looked down at the God, and he met the gaze expectantly.

"I don't know if I'll fall in love. The possibility is there."

That made Aqen pleased, and he smiled.

"But..."

The God's smile fell.

"You're talking about me leaving my entire life behind for one man."

Slowly, Aqen nodded. He then nodded more vigorously, and got to his own feet. Gently, he took her by both shoulders. "I understand. We will do it your way, and see what happens."

Thea sighed in relief and shut her eyes. "Thank you, Aqen."

~

Thea opened her eyes. She was on her back. The heavy scent of cinnamon and rose filled her nostrils immediately. It was so strong and so unexpected, she nearly choked.

"Thea!"

She focused her eyes as someone took her hand. It was Ankh. He held her hand in both his, looking on the verge of tears. None fell though as he smiled down at her.

"You're awake! Bless the Gods and Goddesses!"

"Yes," Thea replied, sitting up. "Thank the Gods, indeed." She brought her hand to her forehead. "What happened?"

"Though it was a mere graze, you were still poisoned. Your fever has broken though, and the fact that you are awake is promising."

"Ankh--I--"

"No," he said, releasing her hand. "Wait, please. I shall go fetch the medic--"

"But Ankh, there's something I need to tell you--"

"I will be right back, Thea," he replied with a chuckle, heading to the door.

"But--"

Ankh didn't make it out of the door. Just then a guard with a spear walked in. He put his left fist across his chest to his right shoulder, and bowed deeply. "I am sorry to interrupt, my King. Lapis is awake. We assumed you would want to be informed immediately."

Ankh immediately broke into a child-like grin. He spun on his heel and raced to Thea. Excitedly, he grabbed her hands, eyes eagerly searching her face. "Can you walk do you think?"

"Well, yes, I think so--"

Ankh was off again. He gave a quick thank you to the guard, barely before he was out the door. Thea sighed heavily, sliding off the uncomfortable wooden table. Her footing was steady, and she walked out, the guard inclining his head to her as she left.

Ankh, who was already quite a bit ahead of her, came racing back. He took her by the hand, and the pair took off running. It made Thea laugh. Lapis' medic hut wasn't far from her own, and when they entered, Thea was relieved to see Lapis sitting up, drinking from a bowl a medic held to his lips.

Ankh pushed the medic away. Lapis looked surprised at the Kings sudden entrance. Ankh, laughing, grabbed Lapis by both cheeks and showered his face in kisses. Lapis laughed, and after a point squealed, and then shoved Ankh off.

"Ahem!" Lapis said, wiping his face off on his billowing sleeve, smiling nonetheless.

"Oh I don't care!" Ankh said, throwing his arms around Lapis then and pulling him into a fierce hug. "You are my dearest friend, and I thought I was going to lose you."

Lapis hugged him back tightly. "You cannot be rid of me that easily, dearest Pharaoh."

Thea cleared her throat. Truth be told, she felt a little embarrassed being here. Lapis released Ankh, focusing his eyes on her. He smiled, slid off the table, and, a little unsteadily, walked over. To Thea's surprise, Lapis pulled her into a hug. He rubbed her back, and she returned the gesture.

"I am so very happy you are alright, Thea!"

"As am I, Lapis. That was scary."

"Yes," Lapis agreed, pulling away and giving her a wink. "Lets not do that again, hmm?"

Thea laughed. "I'd like not to!"

"Speaking of."

The pair turned to Ankh, who had spoken. His once jovial face was now serious, his brow furrowed deeply. Lapis frowned, and a shudder hit Thea.

"This has become...quite serious," spoke the Pharaoh. "An attempt was made on my vizier'slife. That means I'm not the only target."

"A coup?" Lapis said, barely above a whisper.

"I don't know," Ankh replied.

Thea took a step forward, looking between Ankh and Lapis. "I vow to both of you that I'll do whatever it takes to get to the bottom of this."

They both looked at her, surprised. Ankh spoke.

"While I sincerely appreciate your dedication, it may not be that easy."

"I don't care. I nearly died, too, you know. I'm just as entangled in this as you are now."

Ankh nodded, stroking his chin thoughtfully. "It also completely clears you of implication."

Thea felt a jolt of emotional hurt.

"Not necessarily," Lapis replied. He then quickly glanced at Thea, adding, "No offense."

Now Thea gasped and was angry. "You both seriously are considering me a suspect?"

"None of this happened until you mysteriously arrived," Lapis said.

Thea's bottom lip quivered, near tears. Chest heaving, she did something very stupid. She turned on her heel and rushed off into the night. When she heard Ankh cry after her, she broke into a run.

Thea barely knew where she was going. It was made harder by the tears that streamed out of her eyes, flying behind her as she ran away. Her heart pounded in her ears as feet pounded the stone walkways. Few people were still out, torches lighting her way. A women taking down some laundry from a clothes line stepped out of her way, looking surprised.

Eventually her feet led her to where she was wanting to go. Angrily she clenched her hands into fists at her sides, glaring up at the statue of Aqen.

"You're not making this easy!" she spat through her tears.

"Thea."

Thea turned around, fresh tears pouring out of her eyes. Ankh was running up to her. As he slowed down, she realized how flushed he was. Wiping off his brow, he stopped in front of her.

"Thea, I--"

"Where are your guards?" she shrieked at him. "Are you stupid? Are you trying to get yourself assassinated?!"

Ankh was taken aback. He put a hand to his heaving chest. "W-what? N-no. They're right behind me. Thea--why are you acting like this? I'm sorry for what we said--"

Thea took a step forward, grabbed Ankh by both sides of his face, and kissed him. It was hesitant at first, but then Ankh wrapped his arms around her waist. Up until now, Thea had been worried she was merely infatuated with him, much like she was utterly infatuated with her surroundings. She thought perhaps she was just caught up in everything.

But when the kiss deepened, and she realized he tasted like pomegranate, she felt something within herself she hadn't felt in years. Something she had been denying herself for a very long time out of fear of having her heart broken. It was the very reason she threw herself into her work, why she dedicated herself to the museum and hide herself away in the apartment, only ever coming out for her parents or Rose.

Pounding feet caused the pair to break away from each other. Awkwardly a small troop of guards came to a halt in front of them. Embarrassed, Thea buried her face into Ankh's chest. After a moment she peeked out. Truthfully, they looked just as embarrassed as she felt. The three guards in front got down on their knee, bowing their heads. Thea pressed her face to his chest again, wishing the ground would open up already.

Then, a wonderful thing happened. Ankh threw his head back and laughed.